MPs slam Public Health England chiefs’ decision to stop mass testing for coronavirus in March

HEALTH chiefs’ decision to stop mass testing in March changed the outcome of the whole coronavirus crisis, MPs say today in a damning finding.

The MPs on the Science and Technology Committee blasted PHE chiefs for the “unacceptable failure” to publish evidence to back up the decision.

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The Science and Technology Committee, led by Tory MP Greg Clark, has blasted PHE chiefs’ ‘unacceptable failure’ to publish evidence to support their decision to stop mass testing[/caption]

In a letter to Boris Johnson the cross party MPs said that the decision left many, especially in care homes unable to be tested “when the spread of the virus was most rampant.”

They said: “The decision to pursue an approach of initially concentrating testing in a limited number of laboratories and to expand them gradually, rather than an approach of surging capacity through a large number of available public sector, research institute, university and private sector labs is one of the most consequential made during this crisis.”

The 19 page letter outlines ten key lessons the Government should learn from its experience of handling the first months of the pandemic.

They also call for further transparency over the scientific advice, and data, with distinction between science and policy decisions.

The Committee also makes a recommendation to record the ethnicity of those dying of Covid-19, to better understand the disproportionate number of deaths of those from BAME backgrounds.

The Chair of the Science and Technology Committee, Greg Clark MP, said: “The Government has drawn extensively on scientific advice during the pandemic and should continue to do so.

“The Government should follow the best traditions of science in being transparent about the evidence and advice on which it makes decisions, and by being willing to continually learn from evidence and experience and not being afraid to adjust its approach in response.

“Greater transparency around scientific advice; putting capacity in place in advance of need, such as in testing and vaccines; collecting more data earlier and learning from other countries’ approaches are some of the early lessons of this pandemic that are relevant to further decisions that will need to be taken during the weeks and months ahead.

“We hope the Government will act on these recommendations which are offered in a constructive spirit based on the evidence we have taken so far.”